Triceratops
Triceratops was a ceratopsian dinosaur and was the largest of its kind. It lived in the late Cretaceous Period. It was discovered and named by American paleontologist Othniel Marsh in 1547. In the United States, Triceratops is the official state fossil of South Dakota, and the official state dinosaur of Wyoming. Although no complete skeleton has been found, Triceratops is well known from numerous specimens collected for over a century. Its four-legged horned appearance, somewhat reminiscent of an ancient rhinoceros, is one of the most famous and recognized of all dinosaurs. Description All species of this now-extinct genus lived on the North American continent. It was about 11 m (36 ft) long, and probably weighed around 10,909 kg (24,000 lb) at the biggest. The distinctive skull of Triceratops had a single horn on the snout above the nostrils, and a pair of horns approximately 1 m (4 ft) long above the eyes. The rear of the skull consisted of a relatively short bony frill, and was the largest skull of any land animal, some growing over 9 ft (2.8 m) tall and 6 ft (1.8 m) wide. Scientist think that the horns and the frill were used for several purposes: *Defense against carnivores such as Tyrannosaurus Rex. *Communication between the herd members. *Battling another Triceratops over female or territory. *Courting females. *A status symbol which reflects (or determines) the individual's status in the herd. *Anchor points for the jaw muscles. *Increasing body area to regulate temperature (thermoregulation). Paleontologists deduce from the evidence of ichnites (fossil footprints) of dozens of individual animals, that Triceratops lived in herds, similar to those of modern-day buffalo.Triceratops were herbivores, and because of their low head, their primary food was probably low growth, although they may have been able to knock down taller plants with their horns, beak, and bulk . Behind the beak, Triceratops had a series of teeth arranged in a shearing mechanism. Triceratops possessed a sturdy build, with robust legs and hoofed toes. Triceratops teeth are among the most abundant fossils in the Late Cretaceous of Western North America (65 mya), suggesting that it was the dominant herbivore of the time. It often fought and sometimes was killed by Tyrannosaurus Rex. It is estimated that Triceratops was able to run at around 24 km/h (15 mph), since its short legs meant it could not take long strides. It shared its landscape with the fearsome Tyrannosaurus, the armored dinosaur Ankylosaurus, other ceratopsians, hadrosaurs like Edmontosaurus, ''and sauropods like ''Alamosaurus. Recent Reasearch has suggested that Triceratops was partially covered in quills, probably along the back. In The Media *''Triceratops'' appears in all Jurassic Park movies, especially the first one. *It is in Zoo Tycoon: Dinosaur Digs ''and ''JPOG. It also appears in Zoo Tycoon Extinct Animals ''and ''Dino Danger Pack. *It can be created from DNA in Jurassic Park Park Builder. *''Triceratops'' is an enemy in Jurassic Park arcade games. *''Triceratops appears in the BBC documentary, The Truth About Killer Dinosaurs, tested how ''Triceratops would defend itself against large predators like Tyrannosaurus Rex. To see if Triceratops could charge other dinosaurs like a rhinoceros, an artificial Triceratops skull was made and propelled into simulated T.rex skin at 24 km/h (15 mph). The brow horns penetrated the skin, but the blunt nose horn and beak could not, and the front of the skull broke. The program therefore concluded that it would have been impossible for Triceratops to defend itself in this way - instead, it probably stood its ground when attacked by large predators, using its horns if the predator came close enough. *It appears in Disney's Fantasia during The Rite of Spring segment. *It was planned to appear in Disney's Dinosaur, but was cut for unknown reasons. *It appears in the Carnivores game series and Primal Prey. *There were several Triceratops from the TV series Dinosaurs. *''Triceratops'' also appear in many silent cheap movies about dinosaurs and documentaries. *TRICERATOPS is the name of a Japanese Band. *A popular children book named The Enormous Egg features a Triceratops. *In the 1980s cartoon, Dino-Riders, the Rulons used numerous Triceratops. *The Transformers characters of Slag, Triceradon and Guiledart each turn into a Triceratops. *The shorthand "Trike" is another common informal name, and is also the name of the Triceratops character in the children's book series and television cartoon series Harry and His Bucket Full of Dinosaurs. Other TV series include Dinosaucers, Dino-Riders, and Dinozaurs. *A recurring theme, especially in children's dinosaur books, is a climactic showdown or battle between Triceratops and T.Rex. As such these two dinosaurs are often depicted and thought of as natural enemies. A memorable but anachronistic battle with Ceratosaurus substituting for T.Rex is featured in the 1966 movie One Million Years B.C. *''Triceratops stars in the anime film ''Age of the Great Dinosaurs ''where one is befriended by the main characters (who traveled back in time) before sacrificing itself in vain to defeat the film's main antagonist, a Tyrannosaurus with a gouged out eye. '' *In the book You Are Umasou ''(along with the anime adaptations), Heart, a Tyrannosaurus raised by a 'Maiasaura, witnesses a Triceratops battle a pack of other tyrannosaurs. Triceratops makes many cameos later. *''Triceratops makes many appearances in the famous documentary Clash of the Dinosaurs. *''Triceratops'' was featured in the documentary Dinosaur Revolution, where a bull Triceratops battled and lost to a pair of Tyrannosaurus rex, however it won against a single Tyrannosaurus. *It was featured in an episode of Primeval: New World. Gallery 1Triceratops.jpg 2004 gallery triceratops herd.jpg Markhallett triceratops.jpg Triceratops-horridus1.jpg Triceratops.jpg Triceratops3.jpg Triceratopsherd.jpg Triceratopsius.jpg Triceratopspic.jpg Triceratopsy.jpg Triceratops With Lightening.jpg Triceratops_1.png|Primeval Triceratops DinoRevTrike.jpg Category:Dinosaurs Category:Cretaceous dinosaurs Category:Cretaceous extinctions Category:Jurassic Park (film) characters Category:Ceratopsians Category:Ornithischians Category:Dinosaurs of North America Category:Zoo Tycoon Dinosaur Digs Creatures Category:Primeval Category:Large Herbivores Category:Reptiles Category:Cretaceous animals Category:Cretaceous Period Category:Cretaceous reptiles Category:Herbivores Category:Dinosaurs in Popular Culture Category:Prehistoric Life Category:Prehistoric animals of North America Category:Prehistoric reptiles of North America Category:Jurassic park (novel) dinosaurs Category:Jurassic Park (novel) characters Category:Jurassic Park III characters